Taiwan appeals for foreign help

　　Taiwan has appealed for international technical assistance to help rescue more than 2,000 people stranded¹ after Typhoon Morakot caused major mudslides.
　　The Taiwanese authorities say they need giant cargo² aircraft able to drop large earth diggers and other machinery³ into remote mountain areas to re-open roads.
　　Correspondents say only Russia and the US are believed to have such aircraft.
　　Relatives of those stranded and of the hundreds feared dead have urged the government to speed up rescue efforts.
　　Many have been waiting for days at the rescue operation centre in Qishan for news of family members missing since the typhoon struck over the weekend.
　　See graphic⁴ showing level of rainfall Morakot brought to TaiwanHundreds of people feared buried by mudslides in the south of the country have been found alive.
　　But Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou - who visited Qishan on Wednesday - said hundreds more were likely to have died. The number of confirmed dead stands at 108.
　　In pictures: Taiwan rescue'Washed away by the typhoon'
　　Eyewitness⁵: Pacific stormsThe Taiwanese government is sending more than 4,000 extra soldiers to speed up rescue （救援）efforts.
　　Speaking while inspecting the rescue operation, President Ma said: "We welcome all forms of aid, and we also need equipment, especially helicopters that can carry cranes."He assured anxious relatives waiting for news that no effort would be spared to find their loved ones.
　　The BBC's Cindy Sui in Kaohsiung county, near the most devastated⁶ (破坏)areas, says that while earth diggers are already at work outside the villages cut off by mudslides, the authorities believe that if they can get the machinery inside then the mud and debris⁷ will be cleared more quickly.
　　About 1,000 pre-fabricated houses for families left homeless are also needed, our correspondent adds, as well as supplies of disinfectant to help prevent diseases spreading.
　　Military helicopters have been airlifting some of the survivors⁸ to safety, and dropping provisions for others, but continuing rain has hampered⁹ their efforts.
　　It is now confirmed that all three crew aboard a rescue helicopter which crashed in the bad weather on Tuesday were killed.
　　The typhoon struck Taiwan at the weekend, causing the worst flooding in 50 years.
　　Extra troopsThe BBC's Alastair Leithead, at the Qishan rescue base, says thousands of extra Taiwanese troops have been drafted in to help the rescue efforts.
　　The military is now trying to push out into remote areas on foot as well as by helicopter to establish who is most in need of help, he says.
　　There is still no official estimate （估计）of how many people may have died in the mudslides and flooding that followed the storm.
　　Typhoon Morakot, which lashed¹⁰ Taiwan with at least two metres (80in) of rain over the weekend, has caused at least $225m (?135m) in agricultural damage and left tens of thousands of homes without power and water.
　　The storm also hit mainland China, where about 1.4 million people were evacuated¹¹ from coastal¹² areas, eight people died in flooding and up to 10,000 homes were destroyed.

(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

2 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

3 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

4 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

5 eyewitness   

n.目击者，见证人

参考例句：

• The police questioned several eyewitness to the murder.警察询问了谋杀案的几位目击者。
• He was the only eyewitness of the robbery.他是那起抢劫案的唯一目击者。

6 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

7 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

8 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

9 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

10 lashed   

adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。
• The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

12 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。